


As long as we're together, I'm happy, no matter what

by elhopperperalta



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:02:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24792043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elhopperperalta/pseuds/elhopperperalta
Summary: Hello everyone! This is going to be a series of oneshots based on every episode from season 7. I got the idea from @amazingsantiago (read her works too, they are incredible!!) and I really liked the idea so I decided to do my own take.I hope you all enjoy:)
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 70
Kudos: 134





	1. Manhunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What goes through Amy's head during and after the events of Manhunter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome! I truly hope you all will enjoy this series. 
> 
> Happy reading <3

‘My period’s late, I think I might be pregnant.’

Amy hadn’t been that afraid of the idea of her maybe being pregnant up until she said the words aloud to Rosa. Now her heart was racing, and her hands were shaking with a mix of worry about what Jake’s reaction would be, and a little bit of excitement about the fact that she may be about to live out her dream of being a mom. She couldn’t decide which emotion was more overpowering at the moment though.

‘Oh damn,’ said Rosa, in a shocked but reassuring voice.

‘I can’t be pregnant!’ Amy replied, raising her voice a bit in panic, ‘Jake and I agreed to wait a year until we tried, I haven’t found an OB, I’m not on any preschool waiting lists, and I spent all of yesterday in a room with Hitchcock and his new cologne, which can’t be good for the baby… it is literally called Zika!’

Yup, so she definitely hadn’t realised quite how panicked she was about this situation. She wasn’t ready to have a child, surely? She thought she was… but what if she messed up? Would she be a terrible mother? Maybe she wasn’t cut out for motherhood after all! What if she let Jake down? What if she let her own child down?

She had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Terry come over and start rambling about how weird she and Rosa were acting today. All she could remember was dabbing and saying the word ‘totes’ a lot of times, which she realised immediately after she had said it that the odd phrase should never have come out of her mouth. It just made her sound even more weird. But to be fair, she was still very much in shock about the whole baby thing and she also very much needed a hug from Jake right about now.

She heard Rosa say something about getting her a pregnancy test, and as her friend walked away she sat down and sighed deeply, just wanting this day to be over.

Amy hadn’t seen Jake all day, and she knew that he was leading the manhunt and therefore had to be on his toes and alert at all times, but she still couldn’t help but worry about him.

_To: Peralta <3_

_Hey, where are you? Are you okay?_

He probably wouldn’t respond, she knew that, but it was worth a try.

Ten minutes. Still no reply. She shoved her phone into her pocket and looked up, seeing Rosa walking towards her with a brown paper bag in her hand.

‘Okay, good news.’ She said, placing the bag on the table, ‘I found a bodega in the containment zone and got a bunch of pregnancy tests.’

‘A bunch?’ Amy asked, a little confused.

‘Yeah, it’s a New York bodega, you can’t be too cautious.’

‘Good point.’ She replied, and they both began to pull the various tests out of the bag.

Many of them were dodgy and in no way useable, but Rosa eventually found one that was good for use and passed it to her.

‘Great, let’s do this.’

She was sitting tentatively on the edge of the toilet seat, after a very long day of anticipation and desperately needing to pee. She didn’t know what she wanted the result to be. What she did know, was that she would be happy either way. She wasn’t as sure about her husband, but she did know that he loved her, and would always support her. Amy had seen his face of concern as she had sprinted to the toilet twenty or so minutes ago, and she knew for a fact that if she picked up her phone right now, it would have a bunch of concerned messages from Jake. But she wasn’t going to pick up her phone. Not until the timer went off.

A minute passed. Amy tapped her foot against the stone floor anxiously, waiting.

Two minutes.

Three. The timer went off, and she reached for her phone to press the button. She felt nauseous with worry and excitement.

Her hand grabbed the pregnancy test, and she turned it over.

One line. Not pregnant.

And Amy could finally breathe. She wasn’t pregnant, she wasn’t going to have a child. But there was still a lingering feeling in the pit of her stomach, the feeling that maybe this wasn’t what she wanted after all. And she knew it was crazy, and she knew it wasn’t what they had planned, but she knew that she wanted to raise a child with Jake. A child with floppy brown curls and a goofy grin.

She wanted this, oh how she wanted this.

Her phone pinged from the top of the toilet, taking her out of her trance, and she reached round for it, placing the test in the bin as she walked out of the cubicle.

The lock screen of her phone displayed multiple messages from Jake, and a few missed calls.

_From: Peralta <3_

_Hey Ames, you good?_

_You’ve been in there a while, do you need anything?_

_I’m just outside if you need me:)_

She began to type back a message, before realising that he was outside and she could probably talk to him instead, so she just sent back a few heart emojis before pulling open the door and leaving the restroom.

She spotted Jake sitting on a bench a few metres away from the toilet, still in his bulletproof vest. He turned and smiled widely at her as she walked towards him.

‘Hey Ames, you okay?’ He asked as she reached him, pulling her into a hug.

‘Yeah, I’m good,’ she replied, resting her head in the crook of his neck and sighing gratefully, ‘I have something to tell you when we get home, though.’

‘Is everything okay?’ He said in a concerned voice, rubbing her back soothingly with the palm of his hand.

‘Yeah, its all good. I just need to tell you.’

‘Okay.’ Jake smiled, grabbing her hand.

She smiled back, gripping his hand tightly as they walked back to the parking lot.

That night, as she lay in bed, after _‘it also might’ve been… kinda cool’_ and _‘should we just start trying?’_ , Amy felt content. Content with the idea that Jake wanted a kid now as much as she did, and that he was all in. She truly believed that she had never been happier. They were going to start a family at last. And it was gonna be one hell of a ride.


	2. Captain Kim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy talks to Jake about Trevor and Rolf, and he reveals some insecurities he has about becoming a father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't that great as I wrote it in a sleep deprived state at 3am, but enjoy anyway hehe xx

After the events of Captain Kim’s party, Jake couldn’t get the feeling of guilt out of his head for days. He felt terrible about how bad he had messed up, and the feeling just worsened when Terry announced to the squad in the morning briefing about how Captain Kim had asked for an immediate transfer from the 99 and would not be their Captain anymore. His heart dropped when he heard that. The memories of his traumatic childhood would always be there, but he had never expected something like this to happen because of it. The squad forgave him, and they understood, and Jake was grateful, but that didn’t make him feel any less terrible.

As the briefing ended and Jake began to walk to his desk, he felt a hand grab his. He turned to see his wife, and Jake smiled.

‘Hey, you okay?’ She said, stroking his knuckles with the pad of her thumb, ‘you seem a bit off today.’

‘Yeah, I’m good. I just feel so guilty about this whole thing, and I don’t know how to fix it.’

‘Hey babe, its okay, alright? We all forgive you, and we know it was just a mistake,’ she murmured, squeezing his hand, ‘but maybe we should talk about this whole thing later.’

‘Yeah,’ he replied, ‘that sounds good.’

‘Great, I’ll see you later then.’

Amy reached up to kiss his cheek, before exiting the briefing room and towards the elevator to her floor.

She turned back for a second and smiled. 

’I love you.’

He smiled back. ‘I love you too.’

They were sitting on the couch that night, eating takeout from the polish place down the road because neither of them could be bothered to cook, when Amy decided to ask.

‘So, how come you never told me about these men?’ 

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, a little confused. ‘Wait, who?’

‘The limo drivers. The guys your mum dated after Roger.’

‘Oh, them. Well, they were… they were both assholes, just like my Dad.’

She smiled reassuringly at him, signalling him to continue.

‘I guess, after my mum had been cheated on so many times, I didn’t trust any other people enough be with her. But she was obviously going to date other people, and I just wanted her to be happy, so I didn’t stop her.’ 

He sighed. ‘I thought they were good people at first. Because they were, and they treated me and my mum well, and I trusted them. My mum was happy, and that was all that mattered.’

‘And then, as I said, they both ended up cheating on her, and that was the end of it. It really sucked.’

Amy reached over to brush his fringe out of his eyes, and smiled, stroking his cheek. ‘So that’s why the whole Captain Kim thing bothered you, because you thought she would try to replace Holt and then screw us over?’

‘Well, yeah. I guess. I know it sounds stupid, but it was an impulse, and I thought I had to act on it. I’m sorry, Ames.’

‘Hey, don’t be sorry, it’s okay. We get why you did it. And yeah, maybe it was a little stupid and I was a bit angry at first, but I understand, Jake.’

Amy reached over to pull him into a hug, and he rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. ‘Thank you.’

‘Always.’ She whispered as they settled down to watch the rest of Property Brothers. 

‘Hey, Jake?’ She murmured into his chest as the episode came to a close.

‘Mhmmm?’

‘Did your mum date any other men after Trevor and Rolf?’

Jake sat up a little, curling a strand of her hair with his finger. ‘No, she didn’t. She went out on a few dates, but I think she was just too scared to get into another relationship. My Dad and the men that came after him really screwed her up. I wish I could’ve done more for her.’

Amy smiled sympathetically. ‘Hey, you did everything you could, okay? You were only young, Jake.’

‘It just, makes me think. What if I end up as bad of a father to our child as my Dad was to me?’

‘Babe, don’t say that. You’re going to be an incredible Dad, and you know why?’

He looked down at her expectantly.

‘Because you care. And you trust, and you love, and you’re making sure even before you have a child that you will never, ever turn out like your father.’

Jake grinned as he reached down to kiss her temple. ‘I really, really love you, you know that?’

‘And I really really love you too, you know.’

They both laughed softly, as they hugged each other close.

Amy had truly never known a family who deserved more happiness than the Peralta’s, and yet bad situations with idiotic men seemed to keep coming back to slap them in the face during Jake’s upsetting childhood. Karen Peralta truly was a strong woman, and Amy admired her so much, but she also felt bad. She definitely deserved better than Roger, but as long as she was happy it was okay for the moment, Amy figured. Jake had her, and she hoped he knew that he no longer needed his Father to define his worth. He was the kindest, most supportive person she knew and he was going to make a brilliant dad. She hoped he would learn to believe it himself over time too.


	3. Pimemento

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Amy realise that hiding a big secret from their friends is harder than they thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I'm sorry for the inconsistent posting, I haven't had much motivation to write this week so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed. I will try to post more often I promise, but for now, enjoy!!

As soon as his shift was over, Jake rushed home, trying to avoid Charles as much as possible on his way to the car park. Now, he loved his best friend, of course he did, but Charles was very inquisitive and Jake was sure that if he spent one more minute with him today, his and Amy’s secret would be out.

It wasn’t the biggest secret in the world, but it was still a secret, and Amy wanted the fact that they were trying to have a baby kept private just in case something happened. Hopefully nothing would, but they could never be totally sure so Amy was making sure her husband kept his mouth shut. And boy, was it hard. So hard. But he truly would do anything for her, so he kept silent.

Just as he reached his car and sat down in the driver’s seat, he felt his phone vibrate from the pocket of his messenger bag, so he reached down and grabbed it. The screen showed that he had a missed call from Amy, as she had finished a bit earlier than him today. They had probably run out of milk, or something. He called her back just in case.

‘Hey, Ames. I’m just coming home now, do you need anything?’

‘Yeah, we need bread, but that’s not what I called you for.’ 

‘It’s not?’ Jake replied, a bit confused.

‘No,’ her voice dropped to a whisper, ‘you didn’t let it slip to Charles today, did you?’

He sighed. ‘Nope, I most definitely did not, I promise. Do you not trust me, or something?’

‘No, no, of course I do,’ she reassured him, ‘I just know it’s hard to keep something this exciting a secret from people.’

‘Yeah it is. But I promise I didn’t tell, however much I wanted to.’ 

Amy laughed softly. ‘Okay babe. See you in like, twenty minutes? Don’t forget the bread!’

‘I won’t, promise. See you later, I love you.’

‘Love you too.’ Amy replied.

The call ended, and Jake began to make his way out of the parking lot. Gosh, this whole trying for a baby thing was more stressful than he thought it would be.

Amy was sitting on the couch watching reruns of _Jeopardy_ when Jake arrived home. She smiled up at him as he walked through the door, sliding off his shoes and hanging up his coat. 

He grinned back warmly at her, placing the bread on the counter. ‘Hey honey, how was your day?’

‘It was okay. I’ve just about had it up to here with paperwork though.’

‘Woah, Amy Santiago complaining about paperwork? Are you okay?’

She laughed as he pulled her in for a hug. ‘Yeah, I’m good, just tired. What about you, how was your day?’

‘Chaotic,’ he replied, raising his eyebrows, ‘Pimento came in and was one hundred percent sure that someone was trying to kill him.’

‘Really?’ Questioned Amy, ‘ah well, sounds about right I guess.’

‘Yup.’ Jake laughed, kissing the top of her head.

Amy leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. ‘Trying to hide the trying for a baby thing is really hard.’

‘Right?’ Jake exclaimed, nodding his head, ‘it’s so hard trying to avoid Charles. He asked me if I wanted to go for a drink, but I had to say no because I knew if I went I would let it slip.’

‘Aw I’m sorry babe,’ said Amy sympathetically, ‘I just don’t want anyone to know, incase something happens and it doesn’t work out.’

‘I know, I know. It’ll be okay though Ames.’

‘I really hope so.’

‘It will, I promise.’

He pulled her closer and she tucked her head in the crook of his neck.

‘I’m gonna need some more excuses though, I’ve pretty much run out of believable ones.’

Amy just laughed and hugged him tighter, forever grateful that she had this goofball as her husband.

The next morning, Charles walked over to his desk and sat down in the chair beside it. Jake held his breath. Oh dear, what on earth was he gonna ask? If it was anything to do with his and Amy’s life, he was pretty much screwed.

‘Hey, Jakey,’ greeted Charles. 

Jake smiled. ‘Hey bud, what’s up?’

‘I was just wondering if you wanted to get lunch? It’s our break now, I’m pretty sure.’

Jake’s stomach dropped. How was he gonna wriggle out of this one?

‘Oh erm, I’m sorry Charles, but I said I’d have lunch with Ames on her floor today.’

He waited with baited breath for an answer.

‘Oh, okay. That’s okay, you have fun.’ Charles smiled half heartedly as he got up and walked away towards the break room.

Jake felt terrible. He wondered how much longer he would have to keep this up. He couldn’t keep making up excuses and letting his best friend down like this, it wasn’t fair. But he also knew that if he went to lunch, the secret would be out in a second and Charles would reveal it to the whole precinct, and he would be done for. It didn’t make him feel any better though.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket, texting Amy to tell her that he was coming down to her floor for lunch. Because what else could he do, really?

One part of him knew that this whole sneaking around and hiding escapade was gonna be worth it, when Amy was finally pregnant and they would be able to reveal it to the whole squad using confetti and party poppers. Or maybe something more low-key, he wasn’t sure.

But the other part of him just wondered, _what’s the best excuse to get out of a pottery painting session?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments are much appreciated <3 xx


	4. The Jimmy Jab Games 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy looks after Jake after the events of the Jimmy Jabs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 4. Two chapters in two days, who is she? 
> 
> Enjoy!!

Okay, so maybe stabbing her husband in the thigh with an epi pen wasn’t one of her greatest ideas. Yes, okay, maybe it was completely stupid, but seeing the gleeful look on Jake’s face as he realised he’d won did make her smile. She could deal with the consequences later. Right now he was most definitely in a lot of pain, however much he tried to hide it. He had fallen through the ceiling _twice,_ for goodness sake.

She ran over to him, stretching out her hand to pull him up from the chair. He just grinned maniacally at her as she reached up to brush his crazy hair out of his face.

‘Hey, you okay? You look pretty rough.’ She said, her eyes scanning his body in search of injuries.

‘Hey, yeah, I’m fine!’ He attempted to reassure her, ‘but, I must say, I can’t really move my shoulder… or my chest… and my brain feels like it’s about to explode.’

Jake blinked a few times, trying to bring the room back into focus. ‘Yup, and this room won’t stay in one place.’

Amy placed her arm gently behind his back, steadying him. ‘Come on, let’s go. I’m taking you to the ER.’

About half an hour later, they were sat in the waiting room of the hospital, waiting for a doctor to see them. Amy knew it might be a while, she just hoped it wouldn’t take an eternity, because Jake was definitely in more pain than he was letting on and she was worried. He turned to her and smiled weakly, as if he knew what she was thinking. And to be honest, he probably did.

‘I’m sorry, Ames.’ He whispered.

‘Babe, you don’t have to be sorry. Well, maybe you do, because betting our car was a bit of a stupid move on your part, but don’t worry about it right now. I know you only meant well, and you’re in pain. I need to know if you’re totally okay before I can start shouting at you.’ She laughed, stroking his thigh gently.

‘So, we’re good?’

‘Yes, obviously we’re good, you goofball. When would we not be?’

He really wanted to kiss her then, but he knew if he leaned over he’d probably cry out in pain, and he didn’t want his wife to worry about him any more than she already was. So he just smiled warmly and reached for her hand on his thigh, squeezing her fingers.

A doctor came out of a room to their left with a clipboard, frowning as he looked down the list of patients.

‘Jacob Peralta?’

Amy smiled and put her hand up, before reaching down to help Jake up from his seat. Her heart began to beat faster in panic. God, she hoped he was okay.

Two hours later, they were sat in the front of the car again, Jake’s arm suspended in a sling and a bandage wrapped tightly around his chest. His ribs were cracked and he had a mild concussion, but in a very Jake way the only thing he was upset about was not being able to do field work for the next few weeks. That was just typical of her husband though, Amy thought, shaking her head at him fondly. 

Jake winced as he attempted to put on his seatbelt. Amy knew he was trying not to ask for help, but he so obviously needed it, so she reached round and clicked it into place for him.

‘Thanks.’ He muttered, tears forming in his eyes.

Amy began to panic then. Was he in so much pain that he was crying? Or was he just upset for some other reason? She didn’t know and that worried her.

‘Hey, shhh, what’s wrong babe?’ She whispered, wiping a tear away with her thumb.

‘Nothing. I just love you.’

Oh, this man, Amy thought. This wonderful, crazy, adorable dork of a man. 

‘I love you too, you know,’ she murmured, grabbing his hand from across the console, ‘so much. So, so much.’

Getting up the stairs to their apartment proved to be a bigger ordeal than Amy thought it would be. Damn it, why did the lift choose to be broken today, of all days?

She reached for her key to open the door whilst simultaneously trying to hold Jake up. Finally, the locked clicked and the door opened, and she led him inside. 

They walked to the bedroom and Jake sat down gently on his side of the bed as Amy went over to grab him a t shirt from the closet. She pulled his uniform shirt as carefully as she could over his bandages, and then pulled the clean one over his head. 

‘Thanks.’ He mumbled again, looking ever so vulnerable as he sat there on the bed with his arm tied up.

Amy just smiled as she helped him into bed and held the glass of water to his mouth as he swallowed his medication. ‘Hey, what are you thanking me for? I’m your wife, that’s just one of the reasons why I’m here, silly.’

‘What are the other reasons then?’ He asked slyly, grinning at her.

‘What, apart from the fact that you’re my husband and I love you very much?’ She replied, laughing, ‘well, there are lots and lots of reasons. But I think the fact that I’m crazily in love with you is the biggest one.’

‘Well, I’m crazily in love with you too, so that’s good, right?’

She just laughed again as she left the room to make them both food. 

‘Yes, that’s the absolute best.’

When she returned with a tray of soup and toast, she found her husband snoring softly, his head buried in her pillow.

She sighed lovingly, placing the tray on her bedside table and climbing onto the bed next to him. She leaned over and kissed his forehead before getting down under the covers. 

And yes, maybe she was still a little annoyed about him betting their car, and she still felt terribly guilty for stabbing him with an epi pen, but she had her husband next to her, and that was all that mattered. 

And boy, did she love him more than anyone in the world.


	5. Debbie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake has some questionable questions for Amy after the events of Debbie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy, I'm back again. This chapter is a bit trash because Jake and Amy had no contact at all in this episode, but I tried my best and I hope you enjoy.

Today had been an odd day, to say the least. Amy had definitely not expected _Debbie_ to be the one who had stolen the cocaine, and if that was unbelievable enough it absolutely blew her mind that she was apparently just keeping it safe for some crime boss who was paying her for it. _Madness_ , she thought. Eh, at least the whole fiasco was finally over.

Speaking of madness, she hadn’t had a chance to talk to her husband at all today, and he had certainly been acting rather strange. Did she really smell like s**t, or was Debbie just really high on cocaine at that point? Amy didn’t know. But she’d probably find out later, if she asked. 

Then she spotted him and Rosa from across the bullpen, and Jake caught her eye and grinned. She grinned back as they walked over to her from Rosa’s desk.

‘Hey, my beautiful wife,’ he smiled at her, twiddling his wedding ring nervously, ‘how’s it going?’

She tried to contain her laughter. ‘Hey, Jacob, you wanna tell your beautiful and very confused wife why you’re acting so weird?’

He sighed. ‘Well, I promise that you do not smell… like that, it was just Debbie, you know her, she’s very strange -’

Rosa cut him off then, rolling her eyes. ‘What this idiot is trying to say, Amy, is that Debbie is deranged, however loveable she may be, and what he actually blurted out before attempting to cover it up was that you are, ‘just the worst’, and you’re so smart and so pretty, and make him feel better about the world and his place in it.’

Jake’s eyes widened as he turned to Amy.

Rosa just laughed and clapped Jake on the back, before walking away grinning mischievously.

Amy smiled up at Jake, eyes softening at his nervous demeanour. ‘Hey, you really think that? Do I really make you feel better about the world and your place in it?’

Jake just looked down at the floor shyly, tapping his foot. ‘Well, obviously you do,’ he began, ‘why wouldn’t you? I’ve never been more grateful for a person than I have been for you, Amy Santiago.’

Amy’s entire heart melted then, and she pulled him in for a hug.

‘Well, I love you more than anyone on this earth.’ She mumbled into his shoulder as she stroked the curls at the nape of his neck.

‘And I love you more than anyone on this earth, my darling wife.’

That evening as they were sitting at the table eating dinner, Jake decided to ask the question that had been whirling around his brain all day.

‘Hey, Ames?’

Amy looked up from her pierogis. ‘Yeah babe, what’s up?’

‘Do I look anything like Mr Bean to you?’

Amy almost spat out her drink whilst trying to stifle a laugh. ‘Hang on, what?!’

Jake snorted at her very confused but adorable expression. ‘It’s just Debbie said earlier, and now I’m very concerned that she may be right.’

Amy giggled again, pulling out her phone. ‘Well, I haven’t seen that show in a while. Let me find a picture.’

She pulled one up from the internet and put her head in her hands as she attempted again not to cry with laughter.

‘Ames, what is it? Oh no, I don’t look like him do I?’

Amy held the phone up next to his face. ‘I mean, there’s a bit of a likeness there.’

Amy hid her laughter in her hand as Jake raised his eyebrows in confusion. 

‘Amy, _I do not look like Mr Bean!!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, it's just hit me that I'm gonna have to write the trying chapter next. Oh dear. Be prepared for pain next then, I guess:)


	6. Trying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Amy try to deal with the pain that comes after the events of Trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys, sorry it's been a while since the last update. To make up for it, here's an extra long chapter because apparently I was inspired to write loads. It is a bit sad, and I'm sorry about that, but I hope you enjoy <3

It was a couple of days after they had made the sad but necessary decision to stop trying, and Amy was truly crushed. She didn’t really know what to feel. It was sort of a mixture of sadness and relief, but right now the sadness was overpowering. And the worst part was she couldn’t just burst into tears or hide under the covers in her bed or go and hug Jake, because she was in the middle of a double shift and she couldn’t let any of her colleagues know how much she was struggling. So she tried her best to seem like she was stable, when inside she was falling down deep into a hole she couldn’t manage to get out of.

She knew that her husband was upset too, because it had been a very hard decision for the both of them. He just knew how to hide it better. Which could be considered a good thing, but Amy hated seeing him like this. He was different, somehow, not himself at all. Which was understandable, but still broke Amy’s heart into a million pieces whenever she heard him crying in their bathroom at 3am, as quietly as possible so not to disturb his wife’s sleep. But she still heard him, and her heart ached. She knew he blamed himself. She wished he wouldn’t. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but the universe’s, and the universe sucked. Why couldn’t they just be happy? They certainly deserved it after the six long months of trying. It had been hard, and frustrating, and painful, and Amy just wanted to erase it completely from her head so she didn’t have to keep replaying the memory of Jake’s pained expression as she pulled out the latest negative test over and over every single night as she tried to sleep.

Amy sighed, tapping her fingers against the side of her desk. She was trying to get some paperwork done, but her mind kept wandering elsewhere. Her head hurt, and she just wanted to go home. Three hours seemed like an eternity. 

She looked up from her case file to grab her water bottle, before realising it was empty. Damn it. Why now, when she felt like someone was whacking a hammer against her skull?

She wondered if Jake had any water. He probably did, she wouldn’t let him leave the house without a bottle and even if he didn’t end up drinking it it still sat on his desk just in case. Maybe he would bring some down for her if she asked. 

**_To: Peralta <3_ **

_Hey, are you busy?_

He texted back almost immediately.

**_No babe, why what’s up? Do you need anything?? x_ **

_Do you have any water? My head feels like it’s gonna explode._

**_Yeah I do, I’ll bring you some. Do you need painkillers? I have those too._ **

_Ahh thank you you lifesaver xx_

**_Anytime Ames. Be down in a sec, sit tight okay?_ **

She wandered what on earth she did to deserve him sometimes.

The elevator opened about five minutes later to reveal Jake, and she smiled at him fondly as he walked towards her desk.

‘Hey honey,’ he said as he passed the water to her and placed the painkillers on her desk, ‘how’s it going?’

She sighed. ‘Thank you so much,’ she replied as she drunk some water from the bottle, ‘and well, not to complain, but my head hurts so much I can’t concentrate on any of this damn paperwork, I feel like crying, I’m so tired, I can’t stop thinking about how much I’ve failed and-‘

Before she could finish her sentence, Jake had pulled her up from her chair and wrapped his arms around her shaking body. She buried her face in his shoulder, and he rubbed circles on her back soothingly, trying to calm her down.

‘Shhhh,’ he whispered, ‘it’s all gonna be okay, I promise you. And don’t ever say you’ve failed anything because you haven’t, Ames. You’re doing brilliantly, and I’m so proud of you.’

She was sobbing into his shoulder now, trying to make as little noise as possible. Jake kissed her forehead and sighed, clutching her tightly.

Amy pulled away to look up at him, tears falling down her face. ‘I love you.’

‘And I love you,’ He whispered, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb, ‘do you want me to take you home? You need rest, babe.’

She shook her head. ‘Oh no, I can’t, I have to finish this, Captain Holt -‘

‘Would completely understand why you need to go home,’ he finished, ‘come on, let’s go.’

She grabbed her bag and his hand and followed him out of the bullpen. Gosh, she was tired. She honestly couldn’t wait to be in bed, endless blankets chucked over her and the covers pulled over her head. The idea of getting rid of the thoughts that were rammed in her brain for a while was truly blissful.

When they both arrived home finally, Jake helped her out of her stiff sergeants uniform and into a comfier outfit of sweatpants and one of his old t shirts. They both then climbed into bed, Amy tucked into his side with her head hidden in his shirt. She breathed him in, trying not to let herself cry again. She was too exhausted for that and she just needed to sleep. But there was something on her mind that she couldn’t stop thinking about.

‘Hey, Jake?’ She whispered.

‘Yeah, babe?’

‘Do you think… do you think that we’ll ever be able to have a child?’ Her voice broke in the middle of her sentence as her eyes filled with tears.

Jake sighed softly, stroking her arm with his thumb. ‘Amy. Of course we will,’ he began to reassure her, ‘I mean, it could still happen naturally, it’s a possibility. But there are other options too. Adoption, or IVF. I would do anything in the world to be able to give you a child, Amy Santiago, I truly would. And it may take time, but it will happen, I promise.’

‘I love you, Jacob Peralta.’

‘And you know I love you, Amy Santiago.’

They were silent for a moment, just enjoying each others presence, before Amy spoke up again.

‘I’m sorry for being such a burden these past few months.’

‘Woah, hey, don’t ever say that. You could never be a burden, ever. You are the single most important thing in my life, and your happiness matters and comes before anything else in the world, please never forget that.’

‘God, what on earth would I do without you, hey?’ She smiled into his chest.

‘Well, you never have to be without me, Ames, cause I’m never leaving.’

‘Good.’

She paused for a second before speaking up again. ‘Do you ever feel… lost?’

He stopped to think for a second and breathed out slowly before speaking. ’Well, yeah, I do sometimes. I feel like this whole thing is all my fault. And I wonder everyday what I could’ve done better. I’m so sorry, Ames.’

‘No, no, don’t ever be sorry. We’re in this together, remember? And it will happen, someday, like you said.’

‘Yeah, it will. It will, Ames, I promise you.’

She reached up to kiss him softly, leaning her forehead against his as she smiled contentedly at him. They were gonna be okay. They had each other after all, and as long as they always did, everything would be alright.

The next day at the precinct Amy was helping Jake out with a case involving several young children. Amy looked longingly over at them as she stood watching from the corridor, after interviewing their mother for evidence. They looked so happy, and she wanted that to happen so badly for her and Jake that it hurt her a little inside, but she managed to keep the tears at bay for the moment. 

Jake came up behind her, obviously noticing the visible pain on her face, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned into him and sighed gratefully as he rested his head on her shoulder.

‘You okay?’ He whispered.

‘Yeah,’ she replied, ‘I’m okay.’

And she knew she always would be, as long as she had him. They were a family, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support on this work, I'm forever grateful xx


	7. Ding Dong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Amy finds out that she's pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, hope you are all doing okay! Here's chapter 7, enjoy.

She didn’t believe it when she first saw it. The two lines stated clearly on the pregnancy test she had just taken in their bathroom didn’t seem real, they felt more like a really vivid dream. There was no way she could be pregnant, not after six months of constantly trying to conceive with no luck. It couldn’t just happen so suddenly, surely?

But the lines became clearer the longer she stared at it, and she soon found herself struggling to contain the sobs of joy as the reality suddenly hit her: she was pregnant. Finally, she was pregnant. They were going to have a child. 

She slid down to sit on the floor of the bathroom, clutching the test in her hand. She was completely overjoyed, and she honestly believed that this is the happiest she had ever felt in her life. Jake was finally going to be a father, and she was going to be a mother, and they were going to have a _baby._ All their dreams had come true.

It had certainly been an odd day for Amy. At one point she was struggling to contain her tears and pretty much anything that anyone said to her ended in her crying for no particular reason, she remembers being so hot and sweaty at Wuntch’s ‘memorial’ that she embarrassingly had to put sponges under her arms, and finally she was angry and shouty for no reason which just made her feel guilty. Damn these hormones she had to take and the mood swings that came with them.

She had no idea why these side effects of the hormones were happening until the day came to an end, and she realised how odd they actually were. It had certainly never happened this badly before. So Amy panicked and rang up her doctor, who picked up on the first ring.

‘Hey, Amy. Is everything okay?’ 

‘Well, um, no,’ she replied, trying to breathe as slow as possible so the phone call didn’t end in a panic attack, ‘I’ve been having these weird side effects from the hormones all day, and it’s never happened before and I’m really confused and I don’t know why it’s happening -‘

‘Amy, it’s okay. These aren’t common, but they can happen.’

The Doctor paused for a moment and Amy’s breath hitched in her throat.

‘Okay, don’t panic when I say this.’ she began. ‘Amy, I think there is a possibility that you could be pregnant.’

Amy’s heart skipped a beat. Pregnant? She, Amy Santiago, who hadn’t been able to conceive a child for months, could possibly be pregnant so soon after they had decided to stop trying? She wondered how on earth it was possible.

‘But, but - how is that even possible? We’ve been trying for so long with no luck, and now it might have just happened? Just like that?’

‘It’s a very big possibility, Amy,’ said the doctor reassuringly, ‘all you need to do is take a pregnancy test, just to find out.’ 

‘Okay,’ Amy whispered, ‘I’ll do that.’

‘I hope it’s good news, Amy. I wish you good luck! Call me when you find out, okay?’

‘Okay, will do.’

The call ended, and Amy sighed, putting her head in her hands. The fact that right now she could be pregnant shocked her, but she tried not to get her hopes up just in case it was negative again. 

She began to drive home, her heart still beating at a million miles an hour.

Jake was still at work when she arrived at home, which she saw as a bit of a relief. Not that she didn’t want to see him, because of course she did, but it’d probably be better if she took the test alone just in case it was negative. He’d been through that pain enough times already, and she wasn’t going to let him experience it again. She hated the pained look on his face whenever she came out of the bathroom holding a negative test. It was a look of defeat, showing that they’d tried, but once again failed. And she never wanted to see it again.

She went into their bedroom to change into some comfier clothes before rushing to the bathroom, desperate to find out. She opened the bathroom cupboard door and pulled out a pregnancy test. 

She sighed, running her hands through her hair anxiously. _Here goes_ , she thought to herself, _maybe this will finally be the one._

After she’d peed on the stick and set a timer for three minutes, she sat down on the toilet seat, frantically tapping her foot against the tiled floor. It reminded her of a time eight or so months ago, when she thought she was pregnant but she turned out to be wrong and the test came back negative. She hoped, she hoped _so much_ , that this one would be the opposite.

Two minutes remained on the timer. She heard the familiar jingle of keys in the lock, and looked up from her perch on the edge of the toilet. Jake was home. 

Shit.

‘Ames?’ He shouted from the kitchen.

‘Erm, yeah, I’m just in the bathroom,’ she shouted back, ‘be out in a sec.’

‘Okay babe, I’ll just be in here getting changed, okay?’ He said as he walked into their bedroom.

‘Okay.’

She breathed out slowly, her hands shaking. 30 seconds.

The timer went off, and Amy jumped a little as she reached to turn it off.

Her life could be about to change forever. Her lifelong dream of raising a child could be about to finally come true.

She turned the test over.

Two lines.

Amy was pregnant. Finally, she was pregnant.

She had to tell Jake. Right now.

Amy padded out of the bathroom, clutching at the positive test in her pocket. She couldn’t wait to tell Jake the news. He was gonna be a _father_.

She stood in the doorway of their bedroom for a moment, watching her husband mutter angrily at Mario Party with a huge grin on her face. This man, this beautiful, kind hearted, joyful dork of a man was going to be the _father of their child_.

At long last, they had got what they had dreamed of for months on end. And she couldn’t wait to begin the beautiful journey of parenthood with the love of her life by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated:)
> 
> Thankyou for reading!!


	8. The Takeback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy worries about Jake while he's away at Doug Judy's bachelor party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Not gonna lie I'm quite proud of this one, especially as I literally wrote it in twenty minutes at two o clock in the morning:)
> 
> As always, hope you enjoy!!

Even though Amy knew her husband was safe, and that he hadn’t gone far, and he would be home in just a few days, she couldn’t help but worry terribly about him. 

She put it down to her pregnancy hormones, the same ones that made her cry at car commercials. Although to be honest, she cried at pretty much everything now. And that was definitely made worse by the fact that Jake wasn’t there to hug her close whenever she began sobbing at the fact that she couldn’t cook pasta. 

At least it was only for a weekend. She had her phone next to her at all times just in case he texted her and he had promised that he would call as much as he could. Jake hated leaving his wife at the best of times, but now she was pregnant he hated it even more. He had only gone to Doug Judy’s bachelor party because Amy wanted him to have a good time, even if it meant leaving her for a while. She would be fine, she figured. She had work all day, and then she could go home, have a bath and read some book on pregnancy before she fell asleep. It sounded simple in her head.

Except it certainly wasn’t. Her plan on sleeping without him definitely sounded _way_ easier in her head.

The reality of her perfect plan was actually her lying awake for several hours after she had climbed under the covers, panicking about her husband. Where was he? Was he safe? Had he just forgotten to text her or did his phone die? 

The same questions played over and over in her head, driving her crazy, before she gave in and sat up to turn on her bedside lamp. She reached for her phone and opened contacts, finding her husbands number before calling him.

Her phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

Jake didn’t pick up at all, and her phone told her to leave a voicemail. She turned it off, placing it on the comforter next to her and tried to hold back her panicked tears. She didn’t manage to, though, and before she knew it she was overcome with emotion, her hands shaking and tears dripping down her face as she attempted to breathe as much as possible.

She ran her hand through her hair anxiously, breathing slowly in and out and hugging her legs to her chest. Normally Jake would be here to stroke her hair and place his hand on her chest to help her breathe and wipe her tears away with his thumb, but he wasn’t here and she didn’t know where the hell he was because _he wasn’t picking up his damn phone._

She sighed and pulled back the covers, padding out of bed towards the kitchen, clad in a pair of sweatpants and Jake’s oversized hoodie he had left on the armchair in the corner of their room. 

She filled up the kettle, watching it bubble as she spooned some (decaf, may she add) coffee into a mug and poured the hot water into it once it had finished boiling. She then added milk and pulled herself up to sit on the counter, her feet dangling above the fridge door.

The panic she had felt ten minutes ago had subsided a little, but the anxious thoughts were still there. What if Jake was hurt and she didn’t know? Amy honestly didn’t know what on earth she would do.

Placing her mug down on the side, she reached for her phone in her pocket to text Jake.

_To: Peralta <3_

_Hey babe, just wondering if you’re okay? You haven’t answered my calls in a while and I’m getting a bit worried._

Ten minutes later he still hadn’t replied, and her phone remained blank. She sighed in defeat, her coffee cup completely empty by now. She decided to just try to sleep for a while, so she crawled back into bed and lay on Jake’s pillow, breathing in his scent, and that was the thing that finally lulled her to sleep.

In the very early hours of the morning, Amy’s phone finally buzzed from her bedside table and she scrambled frantically to pick it up, still half asleep.

It was an unknown number but she answered the call anyway, just in case.

‘Ames?’

It was Jake. He was _alive._

‘Oh Jake, thank god you’re okay,’ she exclaimed, falling back onto her pillow, ‘I was so worried.’

‘Oh honey, I am honestly so so sorry,’ he began, ‘Judy and his criminal friends put my phone in a glass of water so now it’s broken, and it took me ages to find a phone box.’

‘Well, I’m so glad you’re alive,’ Amy was finally able to breathe properly, ‘please tell me you’ll be home soon?’

‘I’ll be home asap Ames, I promise. Try to get some sleep, okay? Can you do that for me?’

‘I’ll try,’ she whispered, ‘I love you so much.’

‘I love you.’

The call ended and Amy buried her nose in Jake’s hoodie, finally sure that her husband was completely safe, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next evening, she was lying on the couch watching reruns of _Jeopardy_ with a blanket draped over her, when she heard the jingle of keys in the lock.

She jumped up immediately and raced over to Jake as soon as he entered their apartment, flinging her arms around his waist.

He chuckled and hugged her tightly, placing soft kisses into her hair. ‘Did you miss me, or something?’

She grinned and looked up at him. ‘I missed you so, so, _so_ much.’

He grinned back and peppered more kisses all across her face just so he could hear her giggle softly in delight, because that was number one on his list of all time favourite sounds. She buried her nose in his hoodie and clutched at him, never ever wanting to let go, ever again.

‘I love you.’ He whispered as he kissed her temple.

‘I love you too.’ She pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears.

He wiped them away with his thumb as they rolled down her cheeks. ‘Do you want to go to bed?’

She just nodded and grabbed his hand as they made their way to their bedroom. Thank goodness he was finally home, Amy thought. 

_Thank goodness._


	9. Dillman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being falsely accused by Dillman, Jake talks to Amy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's chapter 9 for you all. It's not really my best chapter yet, but I hope it's okay.

Jake hated being wrongfully accused. If he didn’t do something, he didn’t do it, and he would definitely come clean and say straight away if he _had_ done something wrong. That’s why, when Dillman accused him of setting off the glitter bomb, he felt angry, and ashamed. 

Ever since he had been sent to prison for a bank robbery that he didn’t commit, any little mistake that he made he wouldn’t forget about for a long time. It would just sit there in his mind, and he would think about it 24/7, trying to figure out where he went wrong. And even though some of the mistakes were as little as accidentally spilling coffee on the break room couch, they would still make him feel guilty. Overthinking everything was definitely the most mentally draining thing he had gained from prison, and to be honest he couldn’t see it going away anytime soon.

The moment the words ‘It was Jake Peralta!’ were uttered from Dillman’s mouth, Jake froze, completely in shock. Him? How could he think it was him? He would never do something like this. And if he did, he would own up as soon as possible. 

He felt like crying. His hands were shaking so he shoved them in his pockets, so no one would realise how he felt. He saw his wife frown sympathetically at him from across the room, and that made him feel a little better. Jake knew that Amy would never believe the crap that Dillman was coming out with. She was on his side.

‘What? That’s crazy. The box was on my desk. I’m the victim!’

None of them were gonna believe him. It was a lost cause.

He remembers being suspended and shouting something at Holt, before storming off down the stairs out of the precinct, trying to get as far away as possible from all the false accusations being thrown at him.

That night at home, after they had figured out that the suspect was Officer Booth and cleared up all the mess the glitter bomb had made, Jake and Amy sat on the couch eating leftover pasta from the fridge. Jake was sitting cross legged on the left side, a distant look on his face as he swirled spaghetti around his fork. Amy lay on the other end, her food already finished. She sat up against the couch cushions and looked over at her husband. She was worried about him. He hadn’t spoken much at all since they had arrived home, and the silence was more than a little concerning. 

She reached over and grabbed his right hand, rubbing comforting circles over his knuckles. He looked at her gratefully. The sad expression etched in the lines of his tired looking face made her heart break a little.

‘Hey honey, talk to me,’ she whispered, ‘what’s going on inside that head of yours, hm?’

He sighed and reached over to place his unfinished bowl of spaghetti on the coffee table. ‘It’s just, the whole situation today,’ he began, ‘it just… made me think of prison.’

Tears began to well up in his eyes, and Amy reached over to wipe them away as they fell down his face.

‘I know that he had a reason to suspect me, but it just brought back bad memories. And I hate reliving anything to do with prison, so…’

‘I know, baby, I know,’ Amy murmured, ‘I know it must’ve been horrible for you. I wish I could erase everything that happened today, it wasn’t fair at all that you had to deal with that.’

She shuffled closer to him and pulled him into a hug. He buried his face in her neck and sighed again, finally safe in the arms of the person he loved most in the world.

‘I love you.’ He mumbled against her shoulder.

‘I love you so much,’ she replied as she kissed the top of his head, ‘and hey, this little one loves you too.’

She placed her hand on her stomach over Jake’s oversized t shirt and grinned at him. He grinned back, placing his hand to rest on top of hers. 

‘Only 5 months to go.’ whispered Amy.

‘You’re incredible, you know that?’ He began, smiling widely at his wife, ‘the most incredible, beautiful, totally badass woman ever to walk the earth.’ 

She giggled in delight, lying down against his chest. ‘Why thank you mi amor,’ she said, laughing into his t shirt, ‘and you’re just as amazing.’

‘Hmm, no, I won’t take that. You’re the most amazing, I’m one hundred percent sure.’

Amy laughed delightedly again as she leaned up to kiss him. ‘Okay then, you dork, I’ll take it.’

And that night they both fell asleep on the couch, in the arms of each other. And Jake didn’t dream of prison, or of sleepless nights in his dark cell. He dreamt of Amy, and the beautiful family they were building together. 

He knew that he would never feel as alone as he did in prison, ever ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really sure how pregnant Amy was in this episode, so I guessed, but if anyone does know that'd be great hehe
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! See you all soon x


	10. Admiral Peralta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake worries about fatherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! sorry I've been gone so long. I haven't had the best week so I haven't written much for this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Jake knew that there was no such thing as curses, of course he did, but he still couldn’t help but feel uneasy every time his dad mentioned the ‘Peralta Father curse’. His Dad was a terrible father to him, does that mean he would be a terrible father to his son? 

That thought kept him up at night for days after the sex reveal party, days after he had completely screwed up and ruined the whole night. Well, it was his Dad and Grandpa mostly, but Jake couldn’t help but blame himself. He had tried so hard to help them both get along, and he had almost succeeded, but then it all went wrong and ended in his Grandpa storming out and his Dad chopping his thumb off for the _second time._ How it had even happened the first time was unbelievable to Jake, let alone the second time.

But what Jake hated the most about the wrecked party was how it had been ruined for Amy. Beautiful, loving, forgiving Amy. She had been so excited to find out the sex of their child after their struggle to conceive, and he had messed that up completely. Even though he had made another cake and they both knew that they were having a son now, Jake couldn’t help but think about the curse, and how he was probably gonna be a terrible father.

He was lying in bed now, thinking, staring up at the ceiling, his wife breathing softly next to him. She was now in her fifth month of pregnancy, and she was exhausted all the time. Jake wished he could do all the hard work for her, but as that wasn’t possible, he helped her with everything he could; held her hair back when sudden nausea took over her in the middle of a double shift, hugged her tightly whenever she burst into tears at random moments and watched pretty much all the documentaries on Netflix with her. He would do absolutely anything for her if it meant she was happy.

Amy knew he wasn’t like his father in any way shape or form, and Jake knew it too, deep down, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t constantly feel like he was going to fail his wife and son. They were his family, his life. If he ever did anything to hurt them he would never forgive himself. So why did his mind keep wondering to what Roger had said earlier?

‘You’re having a boy. It’s the curse.’

He should really stop letting his Dad’s words worry him. He had left when Jake was seven, and only returned when Jake was old enough to look after himself.

Jake could never abandon his wife, let alone his child. The thought of abandoning someone who you had literally created and brought into this world made him feel sick to the stomach.

So why did he keep letting the thought bother him?

He gently pulled back the covers and padded out of the bedroom to the living room, unable to sit still in bed any longer. He grabbed his hoodie from where it was thrown across the armchair, and pulled it on as he sat down on the sofa.

He put on an episode of _The Office_ on low volume so he wouldn’t wake up his sleeping wife, and sighed, falling back against the couch cushions. He should feel happy, he was having a son, and he did, of course he did, but his Dad’s words made him anxious. Yes, maybe Roger had also said that he would be a great Dad, but that was when he was in hospital and on a lot of strong medication, so who knows if he even meant it.

It wasn’t long before he heard the door to their bedroom open, and the sound of Amy’s footsteps coming towards him. He looked up and smiled, and she smiled back, sitting down on the sofa next to him.

‘Hey,’ she said softly, reaching out to stroke his cheek, ‘what are you doing up?’

‘Thinking.’ He replied.

‘About what babe?’ Amy whispered.

‘About how I’m gonna be a bad dad.’

She looked at him, confused. ‘What on earth do you mean? Honey, you’re gonna be a brilliant dad, and I know it. What makes you think you won’t?’

He sighed and put his head in his hands. ‘Oh, just my Dad. He said that there was a curse on all Peralta family sons, which clearly means that I’m destined to be a terrible father to my child.’

‘Jake, I’m sorry, but that’s a load of rubbish,’ she began, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it sympathetically, ‘Roger was a crappy dad to you. He has no right to say anything about a curse when it was him who ruined your childhood.’

‘I know, but I can’t help but think what if I’m not meant to do this? What if I am not cut out to be a father?’

Amy reached out to smooth the creases on his forehead with her thumb, rubbing gently. She kissed his nose and sighed, taking his hand in hers. ‘Babe,’ she murmured, squeezing his hand, ‘you are nothing like your father. Nothing at all. You are kind, and caring, and protective, and I know that you would never abandon our son.’

‘But I left you behind, twice. For months!’

‘Yes but Jake, you didn’t _choose_ to leave me either of those times, did you?’

He shook his head.

‘Exactly,’ continued Amy, ‘you were forced to. You would never leave me on purpose, which is how I know that you would never, ever, leave our son.’

She pulled his hand over to rest on her stomach, smiling softly at him.

He smiled back, slowly stroking his thumb over her baby bump.

‘I love you so much.’ Jake whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

‘I love you too, so much.’ 

He leaned in to plant a soft, lingering kiss onto her mouth, and she sighed gratefully as she rested her forehead against his.

‘Come to bed?’ Said Amy, standing up slowly and reaching out her hand to him.

He nodded, taking her hand and letting her lead him to the peaceful quiet of their bedroom, where no intrusive thoughts about screwing up as a parent could ever reach him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the support on this work, it really means the world <3


	11. Valloweaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake makes sure that Valentine's day is special for Amy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's some Valentine's day fluff, cause apparently that's what I do best.

Well, it was fair to say that Valentines day at the 99th precinct had been very eventful, what with having to continue their _halloween_ heist after Cheddar had swallowed the gems at the beginning of the heist last year. 

But surprisingly, all throughout the day the only thing Jake could think about was not the heist, but Amy.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that surprising for Jake to be constantly thinking about his wife, but anyway. She was all he could think about.

He wanted to give her a proper Valentines day, a full day where he could appreciate just her and how bloody incredible she was, but then the heist had gotten in the way. It was now 5pm, and they had called it off until Easter, but there was nowhere near enough time to go to a restaurant or anything. Jake felt terrible. She deserved this more than anyone, the struggle of not being able to conceive and their decision to stop trying had been really painful, and he wished more than anything in the world for all the pain to be erased.

He turned around to the sight of his beautiful wife walking across the precinct to his desk, a small smile on her face as she reached him. He smiled back, standing from his desk chair to pull her into a hug. He was surprised that she returned it, as her rules about pda in the office were quite strict, but she did, sighing into his chest. She looked so tired, and all he wanted to do in that moment was to take her home, but she still had a couple of hours of her shift left.

‘Hey honey, you okay?’ He whispered into her hair, rubbing his thumb gently across her shoulders.

‘Erm, yeah,’ she sighed, lifting her head up from where it was placed on his shoulder, ‘I’m just so tired, and so fed up, and so _done.’_

He squeezed her tightly against him, kissing her temple softly.

‘I just want to go home, but I have to stay here till seven, which is a bummer.’ Said Amy, pulling away to smile wearily at Jake.

‘Hey, I could ask Capt -‘

‘No, Jake, I’ll be perfectly fine for a couple of hours, I promise. You go home, and I’ll be there when my shift ends.’

‘You sure?’ He asked her, grabbing his messenger bag from his desk and slinging it over his shoulder.

‘Yes, I promise. Go,’ she smiled, ‘I love you.’

‘Love you too.’ 

He turned and walked to the elevator, waving at her as the doors closed.

As soon as he arrived home, Jake sprang into action, attempting to prepare dinner for Amy whilst also making sure that they had enough episodes of _Property Brothers_ recorded to last them the night. It might not be much, but he knew it was all that they needed. He placed a few candles across their dining table, strung fairy lights across the living room cabinets, and poured wine from the bottle on top of the fridge, before changing into sweats and going through to the living room to meet Amy when she returned home.

Before he knew it, it was seven pm, and he heard the familiar jingle of keys in the lock, and Amy was opening the door, lines of stress etched shockingly clear across her face. 

‘Hi, babe -‘

She looked up from the shoe rack and gasped quietly in surprise, looking over at her husband and the small grin that he was trying to hide on his face, before moving to walk towards him.

‘Look, I know its not much at all, but I needed to do something, because you deserve this so much and I know how hard this whole thing has been on you and -‘

Amy reached up to cut him off with a gentle kiss, running her hand through the curls on the back of his head as he pulled her to his chest.

‘I love you so much,’ she breathed into his neck, ‘ _so_ much.’

‘I love you,’ he whispered back, reaching out his hand to her, ‘m’lady, would you care to join me?’

‘Yes, as a matter of fact I would.’ She grinned, taking his hand and sitting down in the chair he pulled out for her.

‘Are you ready for a full on _Property Brothers_ marathon later?’ He joked, his only intent to make her smile for as long as possible.

She giggled softly, and it truly was the most beautiful sound in the world. He had missed her joyful laughter _so much._

He really hoped that it was here to stay.


	12. Ransom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jake gets kidnapped, Amy panics.

So, Jake was a little bit late home. That was normal, and to be expected as he was never perfectly on time. So Amy didn’t worry, at least for now.

She only began to panic when it was a couple of hours later, three hours after his shift was supposed to end (she knew because she had a detailed timetable of their shift schedule stuck with a magnet on their fridge) and he still hadn’t returned. 

The pace of her breathing quickened, and she had no way of trying to slow it down herself because she needed her husband for that. And he _wasn’t here._ Add her impending panic attack onto the fact that she was seven and a half months pregnant, and she was pretty much screwed. 

She managed to calm herself down enough to grab her phone from the coffee table and, with shaking hands, dial Jake’s number. He didn’t pick up.

_Shit._

She couldn’t cry, she wouldn’t let herself cry because it would just stress her out more, and she was already at the very top of the Santiago panic scale at this point. So she closed her eyes, and breathed in slowly. She could call Rosa, she might know. At least, Amy _hoped_ she knew.

Luckily she picked up on the first try. 

‘Hey, Rosa?’ She asked, her voice wavering a little, ‘have you… have you seen Jake?’

‘Jake? He was out in the field with Captain Holt all day, so no I haven’t seen him. Is he not home yet?’

‘No, he’s not,’ said Amy, tears pricking her eyes as she gently stroked her thumb over her baby bump, ‘and he won’t return my calls. I’m really worried, Rosa, what if something happened to him?!’

‘Hey Amy, it’ll be okay, I promise. I’m gonna go and find out whats happened, and then I’ll call you back, okay?’

‘Okay,’ she whispered shakily, ‘thank you.’

Rosa hung up then, and Amy tried so hard to control her tears and stay calm, but they just kept coming, falling down her face at a rapid speed. He had to be okay, there was no way she could cope if he wasn’t.

Around half an hour later, after Amy had finally managed to compose herself a little bit and stop crying, her phone rang, displaying Rosa’s name. She snatched it up as quick as she could and accepted the call.

‘Amy?’

‘Rosa!’

‘Hey, hey, calm down, he’s okay.’

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband was _okay._

‘Where is he?’ She asked frantically, desperate to know.

‘He’s here at the precinct now, he got kidnapped by the guy who stole Cheddar -’

Amy gasped. ‘What??’

‘Shh, he’s fine now. His phone died so he couldn’t call you back. He’s only got a few cuts and bruises, don’t worry.’

‘Oh thank god,’ she exclaimed, ‘can I speak to him?’

‘Yep, he’s here now.’

She heard Rosa pass the phone to Jake.

‘Ames!’

‘Jake! Oh I was so so worried.’ she started to cry again then, but at least these were tears of relief and not worry.

‘Hey, sweetheart, don’t cry it’s okay,’ he murmured soothingly, ‘I’ll be home soon, hang in there.’

‘Good, please do.’

‘I will, I promise. I love you.’

‘I love you too.’

The call ended and Amy put her head in her hands, her pounding headache finally beginning to subside. He was okay, he was safe, he was coming home.

As soon as he entered their apartment she pounced on him, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his neck. She was never letting him go again, ever.

Jake squeezed her tightly, kissing the top of her head.

‘Shhhh, I’m home now. I’m safe.’ He whispered into her hairline.

She just clutched him tighter, her tears of relief staining the shoulder of his shirt.

He was safe. He was _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm manifesting Jake calling Amy sweetheart in Season 8 <333
> 
> Also, I can't believe I have one chapter left to write, that's totally insane.
> 
> Thanks for the never ending support, I love you all!!


	13. Lights Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac Peralta, their son, was finally here. He had soft brown tufts of hair, caramel eyes and the chubbiest of cheeks, and both Jake and Amy were totally, completely, head over heels in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, so here's the last chapter guys. I truly hope I did it justice <3

_He was here._

Mac Peralta, their _son_ , was finally here. He had soft brown tufts of hair, caramel eyes and the chubbiest of cheeks, and both Jake and Amy were totally, completely, _head over heels_ in love with him.

Jake was so proud of his wife. Well, to be honest when was he _not_ , but he was particularly proud of her today. She had managed a citywide blackout - whilst in _labour_. She truly was incredible, and he would never stop being in awe of her.

Right now she was sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, snoring softly, the covers pulled right up to her chin. He sat in the armchair next to her bed, with Mac beside them both in his bassinet. He was also sound asleep, at least for now. Amy needed as much rest as possible, as although she didn’t like to admit it, she was truly exhausted. Jake wished he could’ve done it all for her, as seeing the love of his life in so much pain was terrible. He tried to be as much help as possible, but maybe even his words of comfort weren’t that comforting to a woman in labour. But she could’ve broken all the bones in his hand for all he cared. She had given birth to their _child_ , the child they had wished for for so long. 

His wife truly was a superhero.

He heard Mac snuffle from his cot, and he stood up quickly from his chair, peering in to see if he was awake. His eyes fluttered open, and he let out a small cry, waving his arms about. Jake reached in to pick up his son, holding him carefully in his arms and cradling his head. 

‘Shhhh, hey, it’s okay,’ he whispered soothingly, rocking Mac gently up and down, ‘I’m here, baby.’

He lowered himself down into his chair again, making sure not to jostle Mac. He sighed softly, and reached out his tiny little hand to clutch onto Jake’s index finger. Jake breathed in, tears forming in his eyes as he leaned down to kiss his perfect son on the forehead. He truly felt like the luckiest man in the universe. He had the love of his life sleeping in the bed next to him, and his son tucked into his arm, and he had never been happier. They finally had the family they had longed for, and it was utterly perfect.

Speaking of his wife, he looked up from Mac’s perfect little face to see her smiling widely at him from her bed. She looked so beautiful, and of course she always did, but today she had that post birth glow and a huge grin whenever she looked at him or their son, and oh _how he loved her_.

He smiled back, standing up and walking over to her as she sat up against her pillows.

‘Hey,’ he murmured, sitting down on the edge of the bed, ‘how are you feeling, love?’

‘Tired,’ she replied, ‘so tired. But mostly just deliriously happy.’

He began to well up again at that. He also, had never been happier than he was in this moment.

‘Me too,’ he whispered.

He glanced down at Mac. ‘Do you want him?’

‘Of course.’ she replied, as he placed him gently in her arms. She stroked a thumb across his perfect face, before looking up at her husband.

‘I can’t believe he’s finally here.’

‘Oh gosh, me too,’ said Jake, wiggling his sons foot, ‘it all feels like a dream. A beautiful, I-never-want-to-wake-up kind of dream.’

Amy leaned over to kiss him, and he responded gratefully. He loved her so much.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead tenderly. ‘I am so proud of you.’

‘I love you,’ she whispered, ‘and I love you, Mr Mac.’

‘I love you both so very much.’

He let his tears of joy fall then, his cheek resting against Amy’s head. He stroked her arm with his thumb, never ever wanting to let go.

Amy was crying too. But after all the tears of frustration, and anger, and sadness, these tears felt like a breath of fresh air. They were tears of elation, of pure joy. They finally got their family.

_Their perfect family._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this fic is over. I can't thank you all enough for the endless support, it truly means the world! Love you all, and see you in the next story xx


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